With vibrant festivals, whimsical public art and an uplifting baseball season, "Steel(ers) City" has outgrown its moniker. A 40-foot-tall rubber duck delighted Pittsburghers as it floated down the Ohio River as part of the Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts in September. The economy is changing, too, as a lively community of entrepreneurs founds start-ups throughout the city.

Here are the security advisories in their entirety, along with photos of famous landmarks in the supposedly dangerous neighborhoods. (For the full effect, set the slideshow to "God Bless America" at full volume and, while watching it, munch on some Freedom Fries.)

First, I must confess that, while I no longer live in Pittsburgh, I am a native and I still love that city.

Despite the fact that "The Burg" went through its first renaissance in the late 1940s to clean up its air and beautify the city, it amazes me how many people still believe the Pittsburgh urban myth that this is a dirty city laden with smoke-belching steel mills. So, let's clarify a few misconceptions with these Pittsburgh mythbusters: